CO2 Coalition
The CO2 Coalition is a 501(c)(3) organization with the stated mission "to engage in an informed and dispassionate discussion of climate change, humans’ role in the climate system, the limitations of climate models, and the consequences of mandated reductions in CO2 emissions." It was founded in 2015 by Roger Cohen, William Happer and Rodney W. Nichols in succession to the George C. Marshall Institute (GMI)"[1][2][3]
Happer told E&E that GMI had "found it difficult to get funding in recent years because of its association with climate change contrarianism," suggesting that was the reason that the CO2 Coalition was formed as a separate entity. The founders are all active in the "climate skepticism" world. Happer has no formal training in climate science but is notorious among climate scientists and environmentalists for his staunch denial of climate change and the science supporting it.[4] O'Keefe is a former executive vice president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute. Nichols signed a “No Need to Panic About Global Warming” letter."[5]
Greenpeace calls the CO2 Coalition a "Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group" due to a reported $232,409 in contributions from the Charles Koch Foundation, David H. Koch Charitable Foundation and Charles Koch Institute. Additionally, the CO2 coalition received $420,000 from the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation.[6]
Contents
News and Controversies
Happer Leading Trump Climate Committee
In February 2019, the Donald Trump administration announced that CO2 Coalition founder William Happer will lead the "Presidential Committee on Climate Security." A committee which is tasked with assessing "whether climate change poses a national security threat” according to documents obtained by the Washington Post.[7]
Caught by Greenpeace Sting
E&E News reported that the CO2 coalition is willing to take contributions in exchange for testimony. Happer was reported as admitting that had happened with a Peabody Energy Corp contribution to the CO2 Coalition.[3]
Ties to the Koch Brothers
Charles Koch has also given to CO2 Coalition but as a Center for Media and Democracy investigation points out: "an examination of IRS filings raises some questions. Charles Koch Foundation (CKF) details $32,409 to CO2 Coalition in 2016 and 2017 and Charles Koch Institute (CKI) $10,000 in 2017 on their individual IRS filings, but CO2 Coalition’s detail no contributions from CKF and $46,409 from CKI in 2016 and 2017."[8]
Ties to the Mercer Family
Between 2016 and 2017 The Mercer Family Foundation gave the CO2 Coalition $320,000,[8] "making the foundation the top donor of this small, Virginia-based nonprofit that promotes the benefits of climate pollution." according to Buzzfeed News.[9]
Ties to the Bradley Foundation
The Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation contributed $100,000 between 2016-2017 to the CO2 Coalition. In an internal Bradley Foundation grant proposal record for CO2 Coalition dated 6/14/2016, Bradley staff writes, “Through strategic public discourse techniques, it will use science to counter the campaign demonizing the use of fossil fuels — a campaign that has effectively replaced scientific inquiry in the climate change debate.”[8]
| Bradley Files |
|---|
In 2017, the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), publishers of SourceWatch, launched a series of articles on the Milwaukee-based Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, exposing the inner-workings of one of America's largest right-wing foundations. 56,000 previously undisclosed documents laid bare the Bradley Foundation's highly politicized agenda. CMD detailed Bradley's efforts to map and measure right wing infrastructure nationwide, including by dismantling and defunding unions to impact state elections; bankrolling discredited spin doctor Richard Berman and his many front groups; and more. |
Funding
According to tax filings, the following groups have funded the CO2 Coalition:[10]
- Achelis and Bodman Foundations: $50,000 (2016)
- Charles Koch Foundation: $52,602 (2016-2020)
- Charles Koch Institute: $24,000 (2017-2019)
- Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund: $125,600 (2017)
- Greater Horizons: $225,000 (2019)
- Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation: $225,000 (2016-2020)
- Mercer Family Foundation: $320,000 (2016-2017)
- Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust: $5,000 (2017)
- Randolph Foundation: $40,000 (2017-2018)
- Sarah Scaife Foundation: $777,000 (2016-2020)
- Science & Environmental Policy Project: $50,000 (2015-2016)
- Searle Freedom Trust: $500,000 (2016-2021)
- The 85 Fund: $100,000 (2020)
- Thomas W. Smith Foundation: $475,000 (2016-2020)
- TIAA Charitable: $10,000 (2018)
- Vanguard Charitable Gift Fund: $29,500 (2017-2019)
Core Financials
2022[11]
- Total Revenue: $1,058,784
- Total Expenses: $1,037,981
- Net Assets: $1,218,634
2021[12]
- Total Revenue: $1,047,985
- Total Expenses: $784,031
- Net Assets: $1,187,534
2020[13]
- Total Revenue: $654,970
- Total Expenses: $603,142
- Net Assets: $923,580
2019[14]
- Total Revenue: $816,715
- Total Expenses: $679,453
- Net Assets: $871,752
2018[15]
- Total Revenue: $571,728
- Total Expenses: $401,730
- Net Assets: $734,432
2017[16]
- Total Revenue: $663,100
- Total Expenses: $611,484
- Net Assets: $564,434
2016[16]
- Total Revenue: $671,833
- Total Expenses: $489,451
- Net Assets: $512,772
2015[17]
- Total Revenue: $404,384
- Total Expenses: $74,164
- Net Assets: $330,220
Personnel
As of October 2022:[1]
Founders
- Roger Cohen
- William Happer (removed from website)
- Rodney W. Nichols
Board of Directors
- Jan Breslow
- Bruce Everett
- Gordon Fulks
- William Happer
- Hugh Kendrick
- Patrick Moore
- Rafaella Nascimento
- Norman Rogers
- Jeffrey Salmon
- Leighton Steward
"Former Board Members"
- Richard Lindzen
- Harrison Schmitt
Executive Director
- Gregory Wrightstone
Coalition Members
- Peter Adam
- D. Weston Allen
- Jeffery Allen
- Ronald Barmby
- Charles Battig
- Robert Baumann
- Larry Bell
- Joseph Bender
- Samit Bhattacharyya
- Ken Billman
- Edward Bohn
- Matt Boyce
- Howard Thomas Brady
- Roy Buchanan
- Jim Buell
- David Burton
- Sharon Camp
- Alberto Francisco Chiesara Sanchez
- Seth Cressey
- Col. Walter Cunningham
- Rupert Darwall
- Cornelis Andreas "Kees" de Lange
- Donn Dears
- David L. DeBertin
- Douglas Domenech
- John Droz
- Don Easterbrook
- Leslie P. Eastman
- James Enstrom
- James Ferguson
- Neil Frank
- Patrick Frank
- Martin Fricke
- David Galligan
- Terry Gannon
- Frank Geisel
- Lee Gerhard
- Indur Goklany
- Gregg A. Goodnight
- Laurence "Larry" Gould
- Renee Hannon
- Kip Hansen
- Kathleen Hartnett-White
- Howard "Cork" Hayden
- Tony Heller
- Mark Hendrickson
- Charles Hohenberg
- Jim Hollingsworth
- Edward Hoskins
- Craig Idso
- Jason Johnston
- Morten Jodal
- Captain Todd Kiefer
- Payne Kilbourn
- David King
- Ernest LaFlure
- John Ledger
- Richard Lindzen
- William Lynch
- Wallace Manheimer
- Richard Mann
- Andy May
- Gene McCall
- Francis Menton
- David Middleton
- Alex Miller
- Mark Mills
- John Moore
- Peter Morcombe
- John P. Neafsey
- Daniel Nebert
- Trueman Parish, PhD
- Seok Soon Park
- John Parmentola
- James Podruski
- Mark Ramsay
- Rolf Reitz
- Simon Richards
- Peter Ridd
- Frank P. Rumak
- Lars Schernikau
- John Shanahan
- Tom Sheahen
- John Shewchuk
- David Siegel
- Roy Spencer
- John E. R. Staddon
- Jim Steele
- Charles Steele
- William D. Stewart
- Mike Thompson
- Charles Thornton
- Andres A. Trevino
- William Walters
- Frederick W. Ward Jr.
- William van Wijngaarden
- Terry E. Winters
- Lorraine Yapps-Cohen
- Bob Zybach
Former Coalition Members
- William van Wijngaarden
- Rafaella Nascimento
- Patrick Michaels
- Lorraine Yapps Cohen
- Caleb Rossiter, executive director
- Amanda Gunasekara
- Hugh Kendrick
- Harrison Schmitt
- William Hayden Smit
Contact Information
CO2 Coalition
1621 North Kent St. Rm. 603
Arlington, VA 22209
Phone: 571-970-3180
Website: https://co2coalition.org
Twitter: @CO2Coalition
Facebook:
Articles and Resources
IRS Form 990 Filings
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
Sourcewatch Pages
External resources
- Polluter Watch Profile http://polluterwatch.org/CO2-Coalition
- Exxon Secrets Factsheet https://exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=183
- DeSmog Blog Profile of CO2 Coalition https://www.desmogblog.com/co2-coalition
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 CO2 Coalition about organizational website, accessed March 21, 2019
- ↑ DeSmog Blog [ CO2 Coalition] DeSmog, accessed Mach 21, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gayathri Vaidyanathan Think tank that cast doubt on climate change science morphs into smaller one E & E News, Dec. 10, 2015
- ↑ David Armiak Trump Taps Climate Denier to Lead a Secret White House Climate Panel ExposedbyCMD March 12, 2019
- ↑ Many Authors No Need to Panic About Global Warming Wall Street Journal January 27, 2019
- ↑ Greenpeace CO2 Coalition (formerly George C. Marshall Institute) profile, accessed March 21, 2019
- ↑ Juliet Eilperin and Missy Ryan White House prepares to scrutinize intelligence agencies’ finding that climate change threatens national security The Washington Post February 20, 2019
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 David Armiak Trump Taps Climate Denier to Lead a Secret White House Climate Panel Exposed by CMD March 12, 2019
- ↑ Zahara Hirji [1] BuzzFeed News January 25, 2018
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCMDhapper - ↑ CO2 Coalition 2022 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, November 13, 2023.
- ↑ CO2 Coalition 2021 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, August 1, 2022.
- ↑ CO2 Coalition 2020 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, October 26, 2021.
- ↑ CO2 Coalition 2019 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, May 18, 2020.
- ↑ CO2 Coalition 2018 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, February 25, 2019.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 CO2 Coalition 2017 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, July 17, 2017.
- ↑ CO2 Coalition 2015 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, April 04, 2016.
